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The article "Remembering Edwin Nicholas Arnold (1940 - 2023)" in the magazine Eidechse reports on the death of Dr. Edwin Nicholas Arnold, a renowned herpetological expert. Arnold was born on October 16, 1940, in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, and was the director of a significant herpetological center. He completed his scientific education at the University of Oxford and primarily worked on issues related to the functional anatomy of lizards. Arnold was also known for his work on the reptile fauna of the Middle East and the subfossil reptile fauna of the islands in the western Indian Ocean. He published several books, including a field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Europe. Arnold will be remembered as one of the greatest herpetologists of his time and as a reserved gentleman with great scientific depth. [Extracted from the article]

The phenomenon of the formation of more than one tail in lizards and its causes are addressed. The lizard with the maximum number of degenerate tails at present is pointed out. In the following, a male Podarcis pityusensis pityusensis with two tails is reported. Finally, the lack of regenerative capacity in very old lizards is proven on the basis of own experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations on the occurrence, ecology, and protection of the two native lizards Zootoca vivipara and Lacerta agilis, as well as of the allochthonous Podarcis muralis in the west and north of the city of Munich, especially in the years 2017–2023. While the viviparous lizard is currently only known from a near-natural moor biotope in the west of Munich, the sand lizard is widespread from humid to rather dry locations. The invasive wall lizard shows a clear expansive tendency, especially along railway lines that are often extremely dry and unnatural; it also benefits from the now numerous protective measures in favor of the sand lizard. Observations of other reptiles are shortly added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wadi Rum Reserve in Jordan is home to at least 34 reptile species, including the endangered lizard species Phoenicolacerta kulzeri. During a four-day stay in the reserve, the author was able to identify ten lizard species, including Phoenicolacerta kulzeri khazaliensis, whose presence was observed for the first time outside its typical habitat. Further field studies should be conducted to obtain accurate data on the distribution of this lizard species. [Extracted from the article]

The article "Reptiles in Saxony" deals with the reptile fauna in the Free State of Saxony. Various aspects such as the study area, the staff and supporters, the historical research history, data collection and processing, data analysis, reptile species in Saxony, their way of life, endangerment and protection, as well as the requirements of reptile protection for land use are discussed. It is emphasized that the release of turtles and snakes from private holdings violates species protection laws. Agriculture is mentioned as an area with the greatest deficits in habitat structures and food supply for reptiles. The article describes various factors that influence the colonization of reptiles in Saxony. It is recommended to design and graze pasture areas in a small-scale and extensive manner in order to create retreat areas and sunspots for reptiles. Well-structured gardens with meadows and flowering areas also promote the settlement of reptiles. Raw material extraction can promote the colonization of reptiles if it takes place in calm parts of quarries or gravel pits. Traffic routes can be both a blessing and a curse for reptiles, as they are attractive as heat islands but can also lead to crossings. The article also includes case studies on reptile protection in Saxony and provides detailed descriptions of the various reptile species in Saxony. [Extracted from the article]

The article describes the behavior and breeding of the island climbing snake Elaphe climacophora. The species was popular in terrariums for a long time but lost popularity with the emergence of Asian climbing snakes. The island climbing snake is a monotypic species of the genus Elaphe and has specific characteristics such as keeled dorsals and ventral keels. It inhabits the Japanese archipelago and is adaptable to different habitats. The species is diurnal and feeds on birds, mice, and rats. The island climbing snake hibernates for about 2-5 months and lays its eggs in decaying wood or compost heaps. In terrariums, they are relatively peaceful but can suddenly bite. There are different color and pattern variations of the species. The author of the article keeps two females and one male of this endangered species and regularly breeds them. The animals are kept in terrariums and fed thawed rats. During hibernation, they are kept in plastic boxes with moist moss. The mating season begins in March, and the male attempts to fertilize the female. After mating, the male's hemipenis swells and there is a thickening of the female's cloacal region. During this time, the animals should not be disturbed. After about 40 days, the female lays the eggs and defends them against disturbances. The eggs are incubated in a moist and warm wet box, and the hatchlings emerge after approximately 80 days. The island climbing snake is a recommended and beautiful snake that adapts well to terrarium keeping. [Extracted from the article]

During the first lockdown due to COVID 19, travel was heavily restricted. The search for reptiles in the vicinity of my home resulted in the discovery of several locations of the sand lizard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brief description of a day trip to the northernmost autochthonous population of the wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) in the city of Maastricht (province of Limburg) in the Netherlands, that took place on 20 September 2020. Besides the description of the habitat some remarks on the population of the midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans), living in the same biotope, are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thematic stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps relating to a specific subject, in this case stamps featuring amphibians and reptiles – there are literally thousands of them out there. The article explores iconic sets that many of us will have owned or at least remembered from their youth, through to some of the most recent issues of herp stamps. It follows the author’s rediscovery of his childhood stamp collection and its transition into little artworks of herpetological thematics, presenting beautifully rendered images of animals that can be easily identified down to species and which would not look out of place in a field guide, to some that are so bad that their very awfulness is their charm. This article came out of a lecture presented by the author at the LGHT meeting in Marburg in May 2022 and if either that lecture or this article sent members scurrying into their attics to locate their dusty and long abandoned stamp albums of youth it will have been successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on two letters written by the entomologist Hermann Höne in 1954 to the aquarium of the Berlin Zoo, which were found in the archives of the Museum Koenig in Bonn, the story is retold of four Chinese Alligators (Alligator sinensis) that arrived at the German capital zoo at Christmas 1937. During the war, the valuable crocodiles were evacuated to Leipzig Zoo, so that they survived the destruction of the Berlin Aquarium. In 1953, however, only two of them made it back to Berlin, the male specimen of which was christened Mao. Together with the already existing Mississippi alligator Swampy, both crocodiles made regular headlines, not only inthe local press, due to their interspecific struggles and thus gained a certain popularity, which is rather unusual for zoo reptiles. An attempt is made to trace the further fate of the four alligators and their partial journey into natural history museum collections up to the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salomon Müller’s (1804-1863) life took what was undoubtedly a surprising, almost novelistic turn for his family when, not even 20 years old, he met Heinrich Boie (1794-1827) and Heinrich Macklot (1799-1832) at his parents’ inn in Heidelberg. This fateful encounter led him to start working as a taxidermist at the Rijksmuseum Leiden a short time later, and as early as 1825 he left for Java with the second group of the Natuurkundige Commissie, where they arrived in June 1826. With the prospect of this career, which did not come naturally to him, Müller took private lessons in Latin and also attended seminars in Zoology at Heidelberg University, although he was never officially enrolled. The two future friends Boie and Macklot will have primarily noticed the small zoological collection of stuffed animals in the guest house of his parents. And so it was Müller’s skills as a hunter and taxidermist that got him the job in the second group. Inthisfunctionhewill alsohaveworkedprimarily in the first phase of the expedition on Java, although it may be assumed that he eagerly followed the scientificwork of the othertwo. The first and probably decisive break in this development was Boie’s death in September 1827. Thus the head and scientific leader of the group was no longer present. Despite the by no means complete data situation – many documents will have been lost – it is already evident on the continuation of the voyage of discovery via Ambon (March/April 1828) to New Guinea (end of May to August 1828) how Müller grew into the function of scientist at a literally unbelievable pace. Thisis documented by his handwritten records preserved in the Museum Naturalis (Leiden) and accessible in the online archive of the Natuurkundige Commissie. Of these hundreds of taxonomic descriptions of often still completely unknown species of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, the handwritten notes on one horned toad and one rear-fanged snake are presented here as a representative example. Parallel to the handwritten notes, especially the diaries of Pieter van Oort (1804-1834) represent an indispensable treasure trove for accompanying data on the individual stages. Unfortunately, this source fell silent a few months before van Oort’s death in Sumatra in September 1834, so that we have little first-hand data material from the phase in which Müller himself was officially entrusted with the leadership of the group. After his return to the Netherlands as the sole survivor of the first two groups, Müller played a decisive role in documenting the sensational results of the expedition in the three-volume work „Verhandelingen“ (1837-44), the first volume of which, „Land- en Volkenkunde”, he was solely responsible for, and the third volume, “Zoologie”, he co-authored with Hermann Schlegel (1804-1884). Soon after his arrival in his old homeland, Müller was awarded a doctorate in Heidelberg, a process that will be illustrated here with the help of original documents.After the dissolution of the Natuurkundige Commissie in April 1850, Müller moved first to Heidelberg, where he married Amalie Wilhelmine Rummer, and then movedwith herto Freiburg. Unfortunately, little is known about the last phase of his life (1850-1863), although recently examined documents from Freiburg reveal much that is worth knowing. Thus, Müller had not only two legitimate children, but also a daughter from the time on Java, whom he had apparently brought with him to Europe and placed her in a kind of boarding school. It demandsthe highest admiration - and the author of this article absolutely and happily includes himself here -, when one considers the life path of this man: from the son of an inn owner,to a taxidermistto an important, versatile experienced natural scientist with an œuvre that isstill not adequately appreciated today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the magazine "Sekretär", which is published by the German Society for Herpetology and Terrarium Science. The magazine contains contributions on the literature and history of herpetology and terrarium science and is published annually in autumn. The contributions cover various topics such as biographies, research institutions, the history of amphibian and reptile research, historical books and magazines, cultural history of amphibians and reptiles, as well as reviews of new literature. The new management team of the working group "Literature and History of Herpetology and Terrarium Science" consists of Prof. Dr. Manfred Niekisch, Dr. Sven Mecke, Felix Hulbert, and Michael Kroniger. The magazine can be obtained by members of the working group. In this issue of "Sekretär", thanks are given to the company Schmidtler from Munich. The head of the working group "LGHT", Prof. Dr. Manfred Niekisch, wishes the readers a lot of fun reading. The issue was published on 4/22/2022. [Extracted from the article]

We report occurrences of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis s.l.) in the previously un-investigated city districts of Feuerbach, Weilimdorf and Botnang in northwestern Stuttgart, Germany. New insights on known occurrences in adjacent city districts, already reported by Deichsel (2011) and Schulte et al. (2008, 2011), are added. With no exception, Stuttgart occurrences of P. m. brongniardii of the Eastern-France lineage, P. m. maculiventris-Wes t of the Southern-Alps lineage, and P. m. nigriventris of the Tuscany lineage, and hybrids of these lineages with each other, are alien. In accordance with Schulte et al. (2021), Blanke & Lorenz (2019), and with Flora-Fauna-Habitat Guidelines of the European Commission (February 2007), we urgently discourage the translocation of alien Wall Lizards in Stuttgart. The expansion potential and assertiveness of these alien animals may be detrimental to ecosystems, and sequelae cannot be corrected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author discusses his favorite reptile which is grass snake and Leuna for the construction of the ammonia plant Merseburg. It mentions heavy air raids at the end of WWII World War on the Leuna works with severe "collateral damage" to the civilian population as well as the targeted attacks on the city itself. It also mentions bomb craters filled here quickly with groundwater or rainwater.

A partly melanotic male of the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) was caught on September 17, 2017 in the former Olympic village of 1936 near Elstal (district Havelland, Brandenburg). However, the animal was not entirely coloured black, but had small parts on the back with light-reddish to light-brown areas as it occurs similar in the erythronotus-mutation. An entirely black male was caught by a cat on May 15, 2020 in the district Treptow-Köpenick of Berlin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first part of our travel report, we presented our reptile and amphibian finds in the Zagros Mountains. In the second part we report on our observations in the mountains of Tabriz, Zanjan, Manjil and Tehran between May 3rd and 7th, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brief presentation of some stamps and banknotes on which Lacerta agilis is pictured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a trip to Taiwan in May 2018, an Austrian team of herpetologists recorded three different species of lizards in various habitats. While the mountain dweller Takydromus hsuehshanensis was found in gravel slopes and dump sites above 1.800 m, T. kuehnei was recorded in small clearings and forest margins in the transition zone between planes and hills. Finally T. viridipunctatus was found in gardens and parks in the North of the country near the coast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors report on a herpetological excursion from April 22 to May 7 to northwestern Iran. The route led from Tehran via Esfahan, Chelgerd, Kuhdasht, Kermanshah, Marivan, Tabriz, Zanjan and Manjil back to Tehran. The first part of the article deals with the reptiles and amphibians found in the Zagros Maountains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A witness reports the release of 100 Western Green Lizards Lacerta bilineata, originating from the canton of Ticino, Switzerland in the early 1950ies. The place of release is a residence area with garden-surrounded houses at Hasenberg Mountain within the city limits of Stuttgart, Germany. A permanent population established itself, remained undetected until 1996 and is meanwhile observed by the public. The area was formerly inhabited by Sand Lizards Lacerta agilis who vanished ca. 1970. The present accompanying reptile fauna consists of Slow Worms Anguis fragilis and Smooth Snakes Coronella austriaca. Since 2017 Common Wall Lizards are observed, phenotypically assigned to Podarcis muralis maculiventris of the Southern Alps lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following list contains supplements (new types, discussions or changes to the type status) and corrections (typos or additions of missing words or numbers) to the recent type catalogue of the Herpetological Collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, NMW; Gemel et al. 2019). The specimens are divided into the classes "Amphibia" and "Reptilia" and are arranged alphabetically within their orders/suborders. Abbreviations and acronyms can be found in the recent type catalogue (Gemel et al. 2019). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the successful conference of the Lacertid Working Group in Greece, where Sönke Frahm gave a lecture on the giant emerald lizards and splendid spiny-tailed lizards in Corfu. The author thanks all the speakers and participants, as well as the organizers of the conference. The next annual conference of the Lacertid Working Group will take place in Gersfeld in March 2024. The article also includes a list of future conferences of the German Herpetological Society (DGHT) on various reptile species. [Extracted from the article]

In this catalogue, all type specimens of amphibians and reptiles of the Herpetological Collection of the Natural History Museum Vienna are listed. The types are arranged systematically and listed in alphabetical order. The collection contains valuable historical material among which, those from the collection of STEINDACHNER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brief presentation of two remarkably coloured male sand lizards from Niederhöchstadt near Eschborn in Hesse and from Rothenberg near Nackenheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Mediterranean Herpetology - Excursions to the Reptiles of Southern Europe" introduces the book by Werner and Yvonne Lantermann. The book describes their research trips to the habitats of lizards, snakes, turtles, skinks, and agamas in the southern part of Europe. It also provides information on preparing for such trips and analyzing observations. The book is aimed at reptile enthusiasts, reptile keepers, and nature travelers looking for destinations to visit. It includes a detailed bibliography and can be ordered through w.lantermann@arcor.de. [Extracted from the article]

The article "In Memory of Arwin Hiller (1937-2022)" pays tribute to the life and work of Arwin Hiller, an animal keeper and veterinarian from Magdeburg. Hiller was known for his love for reptiles, especially turtles, and had an extensive collection of books and scientific journals on this subject. He was also actively involved in nature and species conservation and received the BUND Environmental Award of Lower Saxony in 2008. Hiller was a respected friend and discussion partner who will always hold a place in people's hearts. [Extracted from the article]

Mathias Kneller (1944 - 2022) was an active member of the Lacertid Working Group and regularly attended their conferences together with his wife Ingeborg. He was born on April 21, 1944 in Bingen am Rhein and had a special interest in amphibians and reptiles. Mathias Kneller even discovered and described two new species of poison dart frogs. He also dedicated himself to keeping Lacerta lizards in an outdoor enclosure on his property in Windhagen. In 2007, he published an article on the keeping and breeding of Lacerta schreiberi in the journal "Eidechse" (Lizard). Mathias Kneller passed away on January 30, 2022 after a short, severe illness. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the Reptile of the Year in the daily press to document coincidentally stood out from the "Magdeburger Volksstimme" as they are historical documents, and the issue issue of the Secretary turned out to be two sides missing in order to completely fill the print sheets, , the rubric dandelion is the children's side of the newspaper.

The article presents information on the proceedings of the AG Schlangen Conference of the German Society for Herpetology and Herpetoculture (DGHT) that was held on April 26-28, 2019 in Leipzig/ Osternienburger Land in Germany. The conference discussed the reptiles and in particular the snakes of Colombia, with particular attention to Snake Island Gorgona and its neighboring islets.